Axolotl Translations

Ruan Zhao never would have expected Qi Xingchen to send him a shirtless ab pic. What was he trying to do? Show off his broad shoulders and narrow waist? Flaunt his sculpted muscles? His ridiculously perfect body?

Ruan Zhao lifted his own shirt and snuck a peek. All he saw was soft, pale skin. Smooth. Plush. The kind that practically invited hands to sink in and squeeze. Why was the difference so unfair? Both were Omegas, so why did Qi Xingchen get all that, while he got… this?

A tiny sliver of doubt crept in. Maybe—just maybe—the pic wasn’t real. Because he didn’t have it, he was suddenly questioning whether Qi Xingchen did. Ears burning, Ruan Zhao examined the photo closely, meticulously scanning for any signs of Photoshop or editing tricks.

None.

“…It’s real?” he mumbled, unwilling to accept the truth. With a swift tap, he closed the photo. Of course, even if it was a real photo, that didn’t mean it was his photo. For all he knew, Qi Xingchen stole it from someone else. Ruan Zhao chose to assume the worst.

Ruan Zhao glanced down at his screen—Qi Xingchen had sent him a new message.

Qi Xingchen: [Do you like what you see?]

The heat that had just faded from Ruan Zhao’s face came rushing back. For a brief second, he seriously considered whether Qi Xingchen’s account had been hacked. Because in his previous world, scammers used to do exactly this—send random, ridiculous pictures, then ask “Do you like it?” before dropping a sketchy link to “unlock the full-size image.” His fingers automatically moved to the top right corner of the screen, nearly hitting the report button out of sheer habit.

But then—he caught a glimpse of the hand in the photo. Long, slender fingers. Pale skin stretched over defined knuckles. Faint blue veins running along the back, scattered with a few subtle scars. Definitely Qi Xingchen’s hand.

A few more photos popped up. One of them was slightly off-angle—just enough to reveal the lower half of a face. Even in the dim lighting, it was clear: a sharp, flawless jawline, a straight, high-bridged nose, lips—thin, pale pink, slightly pressed together.

Qi Xingchen had just exposed his own face. Ruan Zhao could no longer pretend it wasn’t him.

Qi Xingchen: [Do you like it?]

The same exact question. Ruan Zhao was speechless. Without thinking, he sent back a long string of ellipses. Tch. What’s so great about it? It’s not like he’s the only person with abs.

A moment later—

Qi Xingchen: [Better than those Alpha streamers you follow, isn’t it?]

Oh, great—back to talking about those male streamers again. Ruan Zhao really didn’t get it. What did showing off abs have to do with them? What, was Qi Xingchen inspired by those Alpha streamers or something?

Sure, Ruan Zhao had clicked into a few of their streams before—out of curiosity, nothing more. He had seen them shirtless, had even received some borderline suggestive pictures from a few. But he never actually looked at them. Every single one of those guys? Blocked.

Still, he couldn’t just admit that outright—so he played it cool instead.

Ruan Zhao: [Not even close~]

……

Qi Xingchen ignored his response entirely, still stuck in his own logic.

Qi Xingchen: [If you like it, I can send you one every day.]

Ruan Zhao: [Please. I could find a million of these on any platform. Why would I need yours?]

Qi Xingchen: [It’s different.]

Ruan Zhao: [Oh? How so?]

Qi Xingchen: [Theirs are for everyone. Mine’s just for you.]

Ruan Zhao’s fingers paused mid-air. For a moment—just a split second—something unfamiliar stirred in his chest. That line… There was something vulnerable about it. Something undeniably personal.

Ruan Zhao: [Let me see your eyes.]

Not long after, Qi Xingchen sent two pictures. One showed a pair of icy blue eyes—like the endless sky, or the surface of a frozen ocean. The other was taken with colored contacts—his eyes now a deep, inky black.

Qi Xingchen hesitated for a moment before asking, almost cautiously: [Which one do you like better?]

Ruan Zhao paused, then picked the second one.

Qi Xingchen: […Alright.]

He wasn’t surprised by the answer. But even so, he couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.

Ruan Zhao thought for a second before typing a reply to comfort him: [They both look good. I just personally prefer black.]

Qi Xingchen had already compromised, so it was only fair for Ruan Zhao to meet him halfway. He continued typing: [I was wrong that day—when I said Alphas and Omegas were meant to be.]

[After thinking about it, I realized I was being too narrow-minded.]

[An Omega can be with anyone. As long as they love each other, even if that person doesn’t have a gender, it doesn’t matter.]

Qi Xingchen hadn’t expected those words from Ruan Zhao. And honestly? He was thrilled. It felt like a prisoner on death row suddenly receiving a last-minute appeal. Maybe if he kept pushing, he could overturn the whole verdict and finally be free.

Something that had once seemed impossible had suddenly shifted, opening up into a brighter, wider path. Qi Xingchen’s eyes lit up instantly.

But then, when he read the last part—“even if that person doesn’t have a gender”—a small question crept into his mind. What did he mean by that?

Did people like that… really exist in this world?

A strange, indescribable intuition made Qi Xingchen stare at those words for a long time. But no matter how much he looked, he couldn’t make sense of them. He assumed Ruan Zhao had just said it casually, or maybe it was a typo, so he didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he brushed past the thought and moved on.

Qi Xingchen had expected it would take a long time to break down Ruan Zhao’s deeply ingrained beliefs. Yet somehow, in just a matter of days, he had already come around.

So… could he boldly assume that Ruan Zhao had changed his mind because of him? So it turned out… sending those borderline suggestive photos actually worked? Qi Xingchen fell into deep thought. He took a moment to steady himself, waiting for his erratic heartbeat to settle, his palms to dry. Then, after making sure his emotions were under control, he carefully typed out a message.

[So, can I pursue you?]

The direct confession hit Ruan Zhao like a punch to the gut.

He hadn’t expected it. He thought there would still be a long push and pull before the other would finally admit his feelings.

But now, this single sentence had completely disrupted his mental game. His thoughts became a tangled mess, his heart following suit. (Not that he actually had a plan to begin with—he had just been winging it the whole time.) But still—this was too fast. It was nothing like what he had imagined. Looks like it was time to pull out Plan B.

After a moment of deliberation, he carefully typed a reply: [A healthy relationship is wonderful and all, but a twisted one is just so much more exciting.]

Qi Xingchen frowned. [What’s that supposed to mean?]

Ruan Zhao: [You know, I have a boyfriend I really like.]

Qi Xingchen: [I don’t know that.]

That wasn’t real, was it? Just something you made up to mess with me?

Ruan Zhao: [Well, now you do.]

Qi Xingchen fell silent.

Ruan Zhao: [You actually remind me a lot of him.]

Qi Xingchen froze, his mind instantly flooded with question marks. Ruan Zhao had no choice but to push forward.

[Especially your eyes. When you put in those colored contacts, you look exactly like him.]

It was one thing for Qi Xingchen to have his suspicions—but hearing it straight from Ruan Zhao’s own mouth felt like a completely different blow. For a moment, his whole world collapsed. That one sentence upended everything, sending his emotions into a complete tailspin. But he still refused to give up.

[So everything you said before—was it all a lie?]

Ruan Zhao paused, thinking back. What exactly had he lied about? Before he could figure it out, Qi Xingchen bombarded him with messages.

[I asked you before if I was just a stand-in for some Alpha. You swore up and down that I wasn’t—that I was overthinking it.]

[You even said that if such a person existed, you would’ve gone straight to them instead of wasting time with me.]

[So tell me, which part was the truth, and which part was a lie?]

Ruan Zhao sighed. [I wasn’t lying. You’re not some Alpha’s stand-in.]

[Because my boyfriend isn’t an Alpha at all.]

Qi Xingchen: [So what you’re denying is that I’m not some Alpha’s stand-in—but you’re not denying that this stand-in actually exists.]

[And that doesn’t count as deception?]

The next thing Ruan Zhao received was a long, incomprehensible string of gibberish—probably a result of Qi Xingchen angrily mashing his keyboard. For once, Ruan Zhao actually felt a little guilty. He took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and typed with his eyes shut:

[My boyfriend isn’t with me right now. If you really want to be with me… you can be his stand-in.]

Qi Xingchen: [????????]

Ruan Zhao pressed his lips together. [If you have something to say, say it properly. Stop spamming question marks.]

Qi Xingchen’s response came back ice cold: [What makes you think I’d be willing to be someone else’s replacement?]

[Just because you have a nice face? Because you’re exceptionally pretty?]

Ruan Zhao touched his face, feeling the smooth texture of his skin. He pressed a little harder, and his fingertips sank into the soft flesh.

He’d always known he was good-looking—the kind of beauty that was rare and undeniable. He had grown up being praised for it, so naturally, his confidence in his appearance had never wavered. Which was why he genuinely didn’t understand.

[Isn’t that enough?]

Qi Xingchen, who had been told not to spam question marks, now switched to sending ellipses instead.

[……]

Ruan Zhao got annoyed by his reaction.

[If you’re not willing, then there’s no future for us.]

But Qi Xingchen held firm.

[I don’t do affairs, and I don’t play the role of a homewrecker.]

Ruan Zhao: [So you knew I had a boyfriend, and yet you still sent me those abs pics? Clearly, you had ulterior motives.]

Qi Xingchen: […I thought you were lying before.]

Ruan Zhao: [Oh… well, now that you know the truth, are you still going to send them? How about a couple more? Let me assess your skills.]

Qi Xingchen: [Don’t do this.]

Ruan Zhao: [Fine. Let’s just delete each other then.]

Qi Xingchen: [……..]

Ruan Zhao: [Don’t message me again. I’m about to block you.]

Qi Xingchen: [Wait!]

For a full minute, the chat displayed “Typing…” It was clear that Qi Xingchen was struggling to find the right words. He typed, deleted, then typed again. Finally, he sent: [You have to give me some time to process this.]

Ruan Zhao: [How long do you need?]

Qi Xingchen: [Three days. I’ll give you my answer in three days.]

Without hesitation, Ruan Zhao deleted him on the spot.

A few minutes later—Qi Xingchen’s friend request notifications flooded the screen. The alert sound rang non-stop. A message from an “unknown sender” popped up:

[I told you I needed time to think. Why did you delete me just like that?]

Ruan Chao thought: You should be grateful I didn’t block you.

A message from an unknown sender popped up: [Add me back. Let’s talk this through properly.]

Ruan Zhao thought: If he’s unwilling, then there’s nothing left to discuss.

……

Another message came in: [What exactly do you want from me?? You act like I should just jump into this without hesitation, but getting involved in someone else’s relationship is morally wrong. Do you think I don’t need time to struggle with this?]

You think I enjoy this either? If it weren’t for the mission… even if Qi Xingchen looked exactly like his boyfriend, Ruan Zhao would never have done this.

……

Three minutes later. Another message. Just two simple words—

[I agree.]

Ruan Zhao let him sit there for a while before casually adding him back. Then he asked: [You’re sure about this?]

It took a long moment before Qi Xingchen finally responded—almost like he was swallowing his pride: [Mm.]

Ruan Zhao opened up his payment app and transferred over half of the money in his account. Then he hesitated. After some thought, he painfully deleted a zero before sending it. The unexpected money transfer caught Qi Xingchen completely off guard.

[Why did you suddenly send me money?]

Ruan Zhao stuck to his original story.

[Didn’t I tell you? I like twisted relationships.]

He lied without blinking.

[The whole ‘stand-in romance’ trope doesn’t do it for me.]

[Take the money. Consider it me keeping you.]

A stand-in and a kept lover… If nothing else, this should be enough to stain Qi Xingchen’s reputation beyond repair.

Ruan Zhao could already picture it—once this mission was over, he and the system would be lying back, counting their hard-earned points. The thought made him smile, his lips curling at the corners.

……

Qi Xingchen didn’t send another question mark. He didn’t send a single punctuation mark at all.

Reality hit him hard. It took him a long moment to recover. It was difficult to imagine how Ruan Zhao—someone with warm, 37-degree hands—could type something this cold.

His expression turned to ice. His brows, his gaze—everything about him seemed frozen solid, radiating a deep, bone-chilling cold. Beneath his eyes, something dark and unreadable lurked, swallowing the light. For a long time, he didn’t move.

Then, finally—he accepted the money.

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